The amazing history of Jerusalem
SOMETIME in July, 2001, Pat Robertson of the famed 700 Club said, “Jerusalem is the navel of the earth. This is the place where prophecy is going to be fulfilled. It’s not Washington; it’s not Bonn; it’s not Paris – it’s Jerusalem that’s going to be the focus of the attention of the world and that’s happening right now actually. The nations of the earth are once again beginning to look at Jerusalem.” (Reference: Dateline Jerusalem by Chris Mitchell)
*** In Part IV of this series, I quoted Zechariah 12:3 which says “that on the date when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.” Related to this verse is another Biblical commitment of God to the Israelites – His promise to defend Israel from those nations that fight Israel because by fighting Israel those nations in effect are fighting God. The basis for this divine protection for Israel is found in the Book of Genesis, the first book of the Holy Bible. God had found a righteous man called Abram (the name was later changed by God to Abraham). God made a covenant with Abram, the forefather of the Jewish people, as follows: “Leave your country, your people, and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you, I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3). With this Biblical verse, Israel was guaranteed a divine insurance policy against destruction or extinction as a nation.
*** Today, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) can compare with the best in the world. One may ask: What is the source of Israel’s military might? From the point of view of a Bible-believing Christian, the answer is found in Psalm 121:4 of the Holy Bible, which says: “He (The Lord) who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”
*** The wars between Israel and her Arab neighbors after the declaration of the independence of Israel on May 14, 1948 (like the 1967 Six-Day War and the 1973 Yom Kippur War, and the wars in 1948, 1956, and 1982) demonstrated the military dominance and prowess of Israel. And more – the technological wisdom on military matters given by our Lord to the Jews is awesome. Consider the following:
• The anti-missile system (the so-called Iron Dome) that trailed the Hamas-fired rockets and knocked them out of the sky – This military equipment immensely reduced the civilian casualties of the Jews. Throughout the eight-day war with the Hamas, the anti-missile equipment of the Jews shot down more than 80% percent of the rockets fired from the Gaza Strip. (Reference: Dateline Jerusalem by Chris Mitchell) Today, Saudi Arabia has reportedly been considering buying military equipment from Israel, including the famous Israeli antimissile system known as Iron Dome Missiles. The Israeli anti-missile equipment has the capacity to intercept and destroy incoming missiles and rockets with a shotgun-like blast. Saudi Arabia needs to protect itself from missile attacks by the Yemen Houthi Ansarullah movement. Moreover, Saudi Arabia is serious in protecting itself from Iran’s possible attacks. Iran is considered by many as the biggest threat in the Middle East region. Also, Iran happens to be a common enemy of both Israel and Saudi Arabia. It’s not surprising then that although Israel and Saudi Arabia have no diplomatic relations, they are getting friendly with each other;
• The brilliant Jewish scientist Chaim Weizmann is remembered as being the hero who changed the course of World War I. It will be recalled that in 1916, England military might was no match for German machine guns and other advanced weaponry – until Chaim Weizmann, the Jewish scientist, came into the picture. England at that time was looking for somebody who could manufacture the weaponry to fight Germany. Chaim Weizmann came out with a formula that made possible the rapid method of manufacturing TNT (trinitrotoluene) and a smokeless gunpowder. For his service, Dr. Weizmann was offered but rejected a personal reward from the government of England. Instead he requested that Palestine (Israel) be declared the international homeland for the Jewish people in exchange for his military assistance to England during World War I. What followed was the historic Balfour Declaration Treaty that preceded the declaration of independence of Israel on May 14, 1948. When the sovereign state of Israel was established on May 14, 1948, David Ben Gurion was appointed Prime Minister and Dr. Chaim Weizmann was elected president of provisional council.